Q My endoscopy and blood tests were both clean, yet my upper abdomen always feels tight. What is actually happening?
A Even without ulcers or inflammation, bloating occurs when the movement of the stomach becomes stiff. Either food empties too slowly, or the stomach fails to relax smoothly as food arrives. Because this is a problem of movement rather than structure, imaging rarely shows it.
Detailed Answer
A healthy stomach expands gently to hold food, mixes it, and releases it downward little by little. If either function slows, you feel full after only a few bites and stay bloated long after meals. Endoscopy examines injury and inflammation of the lining, so this "movement problem" appears normal. In fact, a large share of people examined for indigestion are classified as functional dyspepsia without any clear finding.
Korean Medicine Clinic Perspective
In Korean medicine this stiffness is seen as weakened digestive energy with tension pressing down on the stomach. When unprocessed residue accumulates on top of that, the stomach becomes as sluggish as a person carrying a heavy load. So rather than masking symptoms, we first clear what has piled up and restore the stomach's own movement.
Related FAQs
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